Recap: Rookies Shine as Team Apuzzo Earns 12-5 Win Over Team Moreno
SPARKS, Md. — Rookie attacker Maggi Hall and rookie midfielder Cassidy Weeks each recorded a hat trick, while rookie attacker Erin Coykendall pitched in a game-high five points as Team Apuzzo prevailed over Team Moreno, 12-5, to wrap up Sunday’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse play at USA Lacrosse Headquarters.
With the results, Team Apuzzo moves to 1-1 in Week Three competition, while Team Moreno drops to 1-1 following the loss.
Goalkeeper Kady Glynn stopped nine shots and allowed just five goals for Team Apuzzo as she earned MVP 1 honors and 204 leaderboard points. The netminder also scooped up a pair of ground balls in the victory.
Attacker and team captain Sam Apuzzo garnered MVP 2 laurels after tallying a goal and three draw controls and added 177 points to her leaderboard total.
Coykendall’s career-high five-point performance with two goals and a trio of assists earned her MVP 3 certification and 186 leaderboard points as she completed Team Apuzzo’s sweep of Game MVP awards.
Hall and Weeks each tallied three goals for Team Apuzzo in the victory, while midfielder Dempsey Arsenault scored a pair of markers.
Six total players registered a point for Team Apuzzo in the win.
For Team Moreno, five different players scored a goal and midfielder Marie McCool added a pair of assists and two caused turnovers in the defeat. Defender Emily Nalls grabbed a team-high three draw controls with a pair of ground balls and a caused turnover.
Goalkeeper Taylor Moreno stopped 14 shots, which is a season-high, in the loss.
KEY MOMENT
Team Apuzzo scored the game’s first three goals and held a 4-1 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. The lead grew to 9-3 after a 5-2 scoring run in the second quarter and Team Apuzzo never trailed by fewer than five goals for the remainder of the contest.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
Apuzzo regains the top spot on the leaderboard with 1,196 points entering tomorrow’s rescheduled game day. Attacker Charlotte North holds on to second place in the standings with 1,171 points, while Moreno sits in third place with 1,098 points. Midfielder Ally Kennedy has an 83-point edge over Glynn in fourth place despite Glynn climbing nine spots with her 204 leaderboard points on the day. Note: The leaderboard includes points from Saturday’s suspended game between Team North and Team Moreno that will be completed Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. before Team Kennedy and Team Apuzzo square off at 10 a.m.
GAME NOTES
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Weeks notched the first hat trick of her AU Pro Lacrosse career with a goal at the 6:28 in the second quarter.
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Coykendall finished with three assists with all three coming in the first half … She is the 17th player in the league’s four-year history to record at least three assists in a game.
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In addition, Coykendall registered her first five-point game of her short AU Pro Lacrosse career.
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With another multi-goal performance, Hall now has scored at least two goals in four straight games … The newcomer has multiple markers in six of her eight AU Pro Lacrosse contests.
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This was the 10th all-time matchup featuring attacker Sam Apuzzo and goalkeeper Taylor Moreno as captains … Apuzzo now holds an 8-2 all-time record against Moreno and has won six of the last seven matchups … Team Apuzzo is 3-0 against Team Moreno in the 2024 season.
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Moreno reached double-digit saves for the 25th time in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse career … She is the all-time leader on the chart and has made at least 10 saves in seven of her eight games in the 2024 season and 11 of her last 13 games going back to last summer’s campaign.
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League newcomers accounted for eight of Team Appuzo’s 12 goals and three of the squad’s four assists.
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Team Apuzzo earned the 23rd win points sweep in Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse history after earning all four quarter win points and the game win … This is the fourth win-points sweep in the 2024 campaign, including Team Apuzzo’s second sweep against Team Moreno after gaining all 125 win points on July 21, 2024.
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Apuzzo earned Game MVP points for the 28th time in her AU Pro Lacrosse career, which is the most in the league’s four-year history.
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This is Coykendall’s first time claiming Game MVP honors in her eight Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse games.
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Glynn secures her 15th Game MVP honor, which moves her into a tie with Moreno for third-most in AU Pro Lacrosse history.
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The five goals scored by Team Moreno ties a 2024 season low … Team McCool registered just five markers against Team Moreno on July 27.
GAME MVPS
- #1 – Kady Glynn (Team Apuzzo, +45)
- #2 – Sam Apuzzo (Team Apuzzo, +30)
- #3 – Erin Coykendall (Team Apuzzo, +15)
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